honor, and country. ♪ >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. the breaking news this day, the death of u.s. senator john mccain. welcome to viewers here in the united states and around the ho headquarters in atlanta. he served as a u.s. senator for more than 30 years, six terms in that role, better known as the maverick. u.s. senator john mccain passed away saturday afternoon. he was at his home near sedona, arizona, surrounded by his family in his final hour. he just recently discontinued treatment for the aggressive form of brain cancer he was fighting. people knew this moment would come. but still it didn't make it any

easier for the many, many people who knew him,e who loved him. his senate colleagues remember him as a giant in that body. politically conservative but fiercely principled and independent. his absence in the u.s. senate this year due to declining health, it was clear a true warrior 'til the end. he battled an aggressive form of brain cancer first diagnosed in 2017. john mccain served as a u.s. navy aviator for more than 20 years. mr. mccain was shot down over north vietnam in 1967, captured and held there as a prisoner of war for more than five years. after the war, he returned to politics in the united states. he ran for president of the united states twice. and in 2008 became the republican nominee, eventually losing to the former president barack obama. look at these images that we're seeing just outside sedona, arizona. again, we see the hearse

escorted down the highway just outside sedona. cnn's stephanie elam is live outside senator mccain's home. stephanie, tell us what you've heard and seen on this truly sad day. >> reporter: george, what we understand is the senator was very much involved in the planning of what would happen after he passed away. for over a year he was battling brain cancer so he knew this was coming. when he spoke about his legacy, i spoke with humility about how he wanted to be remembered. what we're seeing in sedona, outside this dirt road behind me now, shrouded in darkness, you can't see it now that night has fallen, but about a mile up the road, what the family lovingly called their home, "the cabin," that's where the senator spent his final moments surrounded by family, we understand, and really took the time to plan out

what he wanted to happen. while we were standing out here, after we got word that e. passed away, there was a procession of police officers on motorcycles followed by some suvs and the hearse. they went into the property and it wasn't much longer before the suv and hearse made their way out of here. from what we understand, the family is on their way en route to phoenix, about a two-hour drive from sedona to phoenix. since this news is starting to spread here in arizona, where the senator was very much beloved here, keep in mind he was elected six times to represent the state in the u.s. senate. and we've seen people coming by, bringing flowers. one man with a very large trump banner on the side of his pickup truck came by with a sign that said, senator mccain, we thank you for your service. that's noteworthy considering how the senator and the president have sparred, even recently, as recent as the

summer, we saw the senator speak out about some of the behavior he did not appreciate from the president. so still here in arizona, you're seeing an outpouring of love and support. people stopping by to get that news and just taking a moment for it to sink in here. but everything that has happened here since we learned that the senator has passed, moving rather expeditiously as they were planning for this, all of this, george, as it was just four days before senator mccain would have turned 82 years old. >> stephanie, again, we're looking at these images right beside you, these images in progress, the hearse going down the highway just outside phoenix, arizona, as you described. and, you know, earlier you really put it into context, because this is where senator mccain wanted to spend his final days, in sedona, arizona. and you described the beauty of that part of the country, the red rocks out there. it's dark right now so people can't quite see that. but i think it might be fitting just to remind viewers of what

you saw, the feeling you experienced there, this place where senator mccain wanted to be when his life would come to an end. >> reporter: i've been to sedona before, george, but nothing can take your breath away as when you come up over the hillside and you see those red rocks standing there. the beauty of this part of arizona, i know everyone thinks of phoenix and the desert, but it's different up here. and the stunning swirl and shade cast by the clouds, and the pink in the sky as the sun begins to set, and the large full moon that i watched rise over the hillside here close to the mccain property, it's stunning here. it's beautiful here. and it's completely evident why the senator would want to spend his final days here. and then on this day, to see that the sky grew more and more gray as it became closer to the late afternoon. and then there were bits and spots of raindrops that fell throughout the afternoon as well. and all of it seemed very

fitting for a man who was so loved, not just in arizona but deeply in this part of the state. >> stephanie elam just outside sedona, arizona. and again, you're seeing these images. you saw them a moment ago of the hearse traveling down the highway, headed toward phoenix, the valley of the sun, of course a very sad moment for that state, and certainly for this nation. stephanie, thank you. let's now bring in by phone senior political analyst david gergen. dave, thank you again for taking time with us here on the show to talk about the life and legacy of john mccain. let's start by talking about the spirit of this man, david. a vietnam vet, a p.o.w. who survived torture, this lawmaker better known as the maverick, charting his own course, putting country first. how do you remember him? >> i'm so glad you started with that story, because i think it's one of inspiration, about

courage, and about character at a time when the country so needs new heroes or icons, so young people can look up to somebody. john mccain reminds us what that's all about. he was captured in vietnam at a time when his father was a four-star admiral who headed up the pacific fleet. and the north vietnamese, when they realized he was the son of admiral mccain, went to john mccain and said, we're going to let you go home, we're going to free you because of your father, who you are. and he said, i'll only go home if my men go home with me. and the north vietnamese refused that, and he stayed. and he was tortured. our p.o.w.'s in the vietnam war were in prison longer than any other war in history. they suffered badly.

but john mccain came out with the respect of his comrades and increasingly of the country and the world. >> david, how would you say his military experience, his service, how did they play into his life of public service? >> oh, i think it heavily shaped his life. i think he discovered military service as his father and his grandfather had, as something beyond self. john mccain talked about that all his life. it was one of the most rewarding things one could do, a way to give back and say thank you for letting me grow up in this country, the freedom i've enjoyed. and john mccain, by the way, was also -- he had a very playful side. he challenged authority a lot. he had a lot of demerits when he went through the academy. when he came out, he was steeled

for the occasion. but there were a lot of stories about john mccain thehe hellraiser, too. >> he lived for 19 months with this aggressive form of brain cancer. this wednesday would have been his 82nd birthday, just shy of making that birthday, david. he still continued to make his voice heard with, as you point out, the political winds shifting, quite frankly to his dislike. >> that's right. there's something about, to some people it's spooky that he died on the same day of the year that ted kennedy died, of the same disease. i think john mccain would have found something very special about that, because he knew a lot about american history, and he would remind you that two of the founding fathers famously died on the same day, in the

same year, john adams and thomas jefferson. and it was on the 50th anniversary of the fourth of july, 1776, one of those quirks in history when two people come together. jo john mccain and ted kennedy had a lot of respect for each other, they worked across the aisle. i wondered if he let himself go, in some ways, on that day, to die on the same day as his friend teddy kennedy. >> wow. we didn't even think of that possibility, david. you know, i want to -- you're on the phone with us, so you may not be able to see the images, but i want to ask our director to play a moment. there were certain moments, david, as you'll remember, moments that really stood out in john mccain's life. one moment, we just played it a moment ago, but this was that critical moment on the senate

floor. this of course after republicans took the white house under control of the u.s. president donald trump. they controlled both the house and senate. and mccain's colleagues needed his vote for the complete repeal of obamacare. you saw it there, that move in dramatic flair, denying them the opportunity. david, that was a moment. then i want to play this other moment, this was during the campaign when mccain was running against the then-democratic candidate barack obama during a town hall. a woman accused mr. obama of being an arab. this is how senator john mccain handled it. let's listen and watch. >> i can't trust obama. i have heard about him and he's not -- he's not -- he's a -- he's an arab. he is not -- no? >> no, ma'am. no, ma'am. he's a decent family man, citizen that i just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. and that's what this campaign is all about. he's not. thank you.

>> david, nowadays it takes fact checkers, it takes teams to help people sort out fact from fiction. but john mccain in that moment, the man stood for integrity. >> absolutely. >> he was there and said what needed to be said. the question i have for you, this man who stood as a tower of bipartisanship regardless of blowback, what are your thoughts about that life that he lived and he stood by? >> well, i have a great deal of respect for it because i think he was a person of integrity. he stood up for what he thought was right. he was willing to take a lot of punishment, you know, when he did that. especially on obamacare that you cited. i thought one of the pieces you had, when he talked to that woman, that was very special to me because in the rallies of sarah palpalin, his running mat

they were starting to get very rowdy and anti-obama, there was a racist quality to it and also a threatening quality to it. mccain put a stop to that. he did not think that was in bounds. it was out of bounds to go after obama like that. he stood up and said that. i can tell you, some people in his part didn't like that. but at a time when, you know, the trump rallies are at controversial as they are, and, you know, a lot of people in his base welcome these rallies, as a time for them to express their true feelings. but a lot of people who are not part of the mccain base see those rallies as threatening and as increasingly -- you know, the "lock her up" and all the other stuff, it's very disturbing, and they worry about the safety of those rallies. and nobody has put a stop to

that, i'm sorry to say. i would hope the president would do that. >> david gergen, senior political analyst, remembering the life and legacy of senator john mccain. thank you for joining us on the phone from massachusetts. >> i'm privileged to take part in honoring him. thank you. >> thank you kindly for the context today. again, you're watching cnn. breaking news coverage, the death of a giant, the u.s. senator john mccain. we'll be right back after the break.

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highly revered, better known as the maverick. u.s. senator john mccain has died, he passed away, family at his side, in sedona, arizona, after battling brain cancer. his washington political career began some 40 years ago, first as a navy senate liaison, then in the house of representatives. then in 1986, mccain began his storied career in the united states senate. a staunch conservative, he frequently reached across the ice recall to the consternation of fellow republicans. he garnered respect from democrats and republicans alike and kept a sense of humor and

accepted his well-earned status of a maverick. >> i've been called a maverick, someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. and the american people know me very well. and that is independent and a maverick of the senate. and i'm happy to say that i've got a partner that's a good maverick along with me now. i'm a maverick. no one expected us to agree on everything. maverick i can do. but messiah is above my pay grade. >> reid galen now joins us by phone from park city, utah, a republican political strategist and the former campaign manager for senator john mccain's presidential campaign in 2008. reid, thank you for taking time with us this day. look, you were with senator mccain during one of his boldest moments, running for the highest office in the land. how do you remember those moments and how do you remember him?

>> sure. well, thanks for having me. you know, i think the senator was very much in person how you probably might have seen him on television. he did not mince words very often. he was, you know, extremely honest, forthright, blunt, when he needed to be. but also had an incredible sense of humor more and certainly a sense of duty and honor that put country before all. and i think that over the course of 60 years, first in the navy and then in congress as you saul mentioned, i think he showed that every day, that this was something that was more than just an idea. it was an ideal. >> reid, senator mccain was very clear that he had dislikes about the shifting of political winds in washington. the last time he was in washington, december of last year, i believe, but again, during that time he frequently spoke up about things he didn't like. talk to us about that

dissonance, the disconnect between the republican party that senator mccain envisioned, the changes that he wasn't supportive of. >> sure. i mean, remember that both in 2000 and again in 2008, his campaign bus and campaign plane were called the straight talk express, right? he didn't mince words. he told you what he thought. he nee he told you what he was thinking. although he was a lifelong republican, he was always willing to work across the aisle. he saw politics as a necessary part of governance and a part of how this country was great but did not let that stop him from doing the right thing for the greatest number of people, whether that was finding allies with republicans or finding allies with democrats, whatever the case might have been. i think certainly in the last couple of years, as we've seen, this was no longer the party of not only john mccain but of

george bush or mitt romney. this is a new republican party, one that, you know, looked, unfortunately, down on senator mccain as someone who wasn't pure enough, whatever that case might have been, because he was willing to put the country before his party registration. and i think that that is a sad testament to where the republican party is. but also a proud testament to who john mccain was. >> we also understand that u.s. senator mccain of course took time to plan, you know, what would happen upon his death. we understand that he does not want the current u.s. president at his funeral. he does want previous presidents to attend, to speak for him. but just speaking to that disconnect, you know, there was clear animosity between these two figures. it is an unfortunate disconnect, it seems. >> yeah, i think it is, and i think it is one, unfortunately,

you know, i think that certainly senator mccain was probably never a fan of president trump's brand of politics. but also understand that senator mccain was many things, but willing to sit idly by while someone impugned his service and his honor i think was something he was never going to abide by. and certainly president trump during his campaign and since then has apparently taken glee in both insulting -- you know, insulting senator mccain's service, you know, his imprisonment, the votes he's taken in the united states senate, certainly the one where he saved whatever is left of obamacare, the affordable care act. and, you know, that's the kind of thing where john mccain was perfectly willing to disagree with you on policy or politics, but he was not going to sit by and allow you to impugn his honor. >> reed galen on the phone with us from park city, utah. reed, thank you so much for taking time to remember the u.s.

senator. >> thank you. >> let's now bring in veteran journalist dan rather, joining us on the phone from new york. dan, we appreciate your time today. during your extensive career, you covered senator john mccain a great deal. how do you remember him? >> well, first of all, thank you very much for -- i'm grateful to be on the air with you. i remember john mccain over so many years. i think i first met him sometime in the 1970s. the thing about john mccain was, you know, he would be the first to say he wasn't perfect, which is to say he was human. but he always valued service to country above anything else. he considered himself a loyal republican, but as a u.s. senator and before that a representative, he prided himself on i guess you say his

icon o ic iconoclism. he was loyal to the party when he felt he could be, and that was an overwhelming amount of the time. when he felt he couldn't be, he spoke up, there was no peeking and hiding with john mccain. we as a country have lost one of our iconic political leaders with the passing of john mccain. he was a brave man, as evidenced by his experience during the vietnam war, a hero by any reasonable analysis of that term. a public servant. he was a warrior, a public servant. he was exactly the kind of person that everybody hopes is in the u.s. congress, whether you're a democrat or a republican or something in between or outside. he's exactly the kind of person that you always hope will be representing us in washington. i knew john, i knew him well

enough to admire many of his qualities from up close, having covered him overt the years. not well enough to call him an actual friend. he had many close friends, and his family of course. >> dan, you put forward a statement, i want to read part of it. in part you say mccain was controversial and far from perfect. in short, you say he was human but at best he echoed the highest ideals of american democracy. he spoke out fiercely against the current regime. it does speak, as you're mentioning here, to the polar y polarity. it seems there's not much room for middle ground. when you see john mccain, he was a man who reached across the style, who stood for by the partisanship. >> and that's the point. he always was country first. he was loyal to his party, as i

say, when he could be. but he was never one of those people whose first consideration was how is this going to affect me, how is it going to affect my political future. and furthermore, he was never one who said, well, i need to do what the party wants me to do or what the party line is. it was always country first with him. we speak a lot, offhandedly, about honor and integrity. and john mccain had this deep within himself. and part of that was always reflected, he was always thinking country first. and when you look around today, finding people in public service, in elected public office, who think that the first priority is the country, the best we can say is we better hope we get more john mccains. >> veteran journalist dan rather on the phone with us live from new york.

we appreciate your time, your perspective, your remembrance of senator john mccain. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> again, cnn following the breaking news this sad day, the death of john mccain. we'll continue our coverage right after the break. what's critical thinking like? a basketball costs $14. what's team spirit worth? (cheers) what's it worth to talk to your mom? what's the value of a walk in the woods? the value of capital is to create, not just wealth, but things that matter. morgan stanley who would have guessed? an energy company helping cars emit less. making cars lighter, it's a good place to start, advanced oils for those hard-working parts.

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and our continuing coverage, the death of u.s. senator john mccain, a war hero better known as the maverick. i'm george howell at cnn headquarters in atlanta. and reaction continues to come in from many of the people who knew senator mccain best. first, his wife cindy mccain. she sent out a tweet after his passing. the tweet saying, "my heart is broken. i am so lucky to have lived the veterinari adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. he passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the place he loved best." mccain's daughter meghan released a statement saying in part, "i was with my father at his end and he was with me at my beginning. in the 33 years we shared together, he raised me, taught me, corrected me, comforted me, encouraged me, and supported me in all things. he loved me and i loved him. he taught me how to live. his love and his care ever present, always unfailing, took me from a girl to a woman and he

showed me what it is to be a man." the former u.s. president barack obama ran against john mccain for the office of president back in 2008. mr. obama and first lady michelle obama released this statement saying in part, quote, we share for all of our differences a fidelity to something higher, the ideals for which generations of americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched, and sacrificed. we saw our political battles even as a privilege, something noble, an opportunity to serve as stewards of those ideals at home and to advance them around the world. few of us have been tested the way john once was or required to show the kind of courage that he did. but all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. it goes on to say, at john's best he showed us what that means. and for that we are in his debt. michelle and i send our most

heartfelt condolences to cindy and their family, end quote. we're joined now on the phone by douglas brinkley, cnn presidential historian and history professor at rice university. douglas, a pleasure to have you on the show, thank you for your time. again, we just got a sense of this. this is a statesman, a legislator who was close to his rival, the former president barack obama. but given the political changes, the shifting of winds, not close to the current u.s. president. let's talk just a bit about that disconnect, which was very clear and evident. >> well, it is a big disconnect that john mccain had with donald trump. you know, mccain really admired all american presidents. john f. kennedy had been one of his first heroes. in october of 1962, mccain had been on the "enterprise," the navy's first nuclear powered carrier.

he went to the waters of cuba for the cuban missile crisis and was so proud to be serving in the navy under john f. kennedy. so it went throughout his career. presidents mattered to him. he particularly loved ronald reagan. and he became good friends with bill and hillary clinton. and, you know, and barack obama, got along well. but not donald trump, because they have a totally different view of what it means to have american service. john mccain really was about doing something for your country, not for yourself. donald trump has made a career in many ways as a self promoter. so the idea that they were antithetical characters to each other, there's not much in common between a john mccain and a donald trump. >> let's talk about his life in military, douglas, because that

life certainly helped to shape his life in politics. >> military means everything to john mccain. i mean, he was born in the panama canal zone. when he ran for president, some people wondered, are you an american citizen, being born in the canal zone? but of course he was, and he had an incredible family of naval heroes, father, grandfather and others. they meant everything to him. he was a quintessential cold war your. he always wanted to beat the soviet union. he loved what we fought for in this country, believed in democracy. when you look at the ussr, and he saw totalitarianism, it was worth defeating. putting his neck on the line in vietnam, almost died when the "uss forrestal" had its fire

incident in which over a thousand sailors died, and he did all these missions over vietnam and was shot down by hanoi and spent that 5 1/2 years in imprisonment that we've been talking about on cnn. he got back and devoted his career to the men and women of the armed forces. nobody loved him more than people in the navy, air force, army, national guard. he understood them, he was one of them. he talked about public service. he was great friends with america's secretaries of defense. the loss is going to be profound for people that make a living defending the united states of america. >> douglas, this question, and i think it's central to the times we're in right now, but again, when people see john mccain, they do remember a person who would reach across the aisle. his motto, "let's get things done, it's find a way to do it together." you'll remember he did not like

the approach of trying to repeal obamacare. he felt it needed to have democrat support. you remember that motion he made in dramatic fashion denying his colleagues the vote they needed to help repeal completely obamacare. the question that i pass on to you here, does john mccain, does he represent a bygone era of bipartisanship? >> in many ways it's a bygone era for now. but one always lives with the hope that bipartisanship will come back. i mean, john mccain was a conservative, let's make no bones about it. he was a student of people like barry goldwater of arizona. he was a rock hard conservative. but he was pragmatic, and he loved all fellow americans. his sense of humor, the fact that he liked people for being people, allowed him to try to do

big things on capitol hill. he would work with john kerry, for example, on getting the remains back from -- some of our soldiers from vietnam, for normalization of relations with vietnam. he worked with russ feingold on campaign finance reform. the spirit of bipartisanism lived within john mccain's legacy, and hopefully, as we celebrate and mourn his life, people will remember when we had by the partisan warriors, and that's what mccain was. his all-seasons hero was theodore roosevelt, and tr was that way too. tr created a bull moose party, a third party, because he sometimes liked democrat things and sometimes republican things, and mccain was very much of that stamp. >> douglas there from ladybird

lake there, my hometown of boston, at the potomac, this is a sad day as the nation loses a giant. douglas, thank you for your time today. >> thank you. your watching cnn breaking news coverage, the death of u.s. senator john mccain. we'll be right back. stand by. (thomas) nice choices! you see, now verizon lets you mix and match your family unlimited plans like you mix and match your flavors. so you get what you want, without paying for things you don't. number 6. i know. where do i put it? in my belly. (vo) one family. different unlimited plans. starting at $40 per line on the network you deserve. you wouldn't accept from any one else. so why accept it from your allergy pills? most pills don't finish the job because they don't relieve nasal congestion. flonase allergy relief is different. flonase relieves sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose, plus nasal congestion, which pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances.

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remembering and celebrating the life of a great american hear r hero. the u.s. senator john mccain described by people who knew him as boldly persistent and brave, respected by both sides of the aisle during his more than 30 years in congress. he survived 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in vietnam, short down in north vietnam.

he did not let that stand as the defining experience of his career, though, his life. he ran for president of the united states twice. and today, his friends and former rivals are remembering him, they are honoring him. john mccain died saturday at his home in arizona, this after battling a vicious form of brain cancer. john mccain was 81 years old, would have been 82 years old this next wednesday. he remained grateful, writing this year in his memoir, quote, the world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and i hate very much leaving it, spoke my hero, robert jordan, in earnest hemingway's "for whom the bell tolls." i don't have a complaint, not one. it's been quite a ride, he says. let's now bring in cnn congressional reporter lauren fox in washington, d.c. lauren, what is the reaction there across the nation's capital? >> such a strong outpouring from

lawmakers, from both sides of capitol hill. one of the most notable tonight came from senator chuck schumer, a democrat leakding the senate democrats. he said he wanted to introduce some kind of resolution to rename one of the senate buildings after john mccain, it would be the russell senate office building, that's where mccain kept his office for many decades. just a note about how strong aisle. there's so much lawmakers are saying about their friend, their colleague john mccain. you know, it sounds like so many of them are missing the senator tonight, trying to remember what it would even be like to go back to work without mccain. obviously he was a friend to many, and someone who, you know, didn't always vote with his republican colleagues. he was somebody who voted against, for example, repealing the affordable care act last year, voting with democrats because he said that the process just wasn't bipartisan enough,

they didn't go through regular order. and he just is a member who will be remembered for having such a legacy in the u.s. senate. >> lauren fox, live for us in the nation's capital, lauren, thank you, this day, for the report. over the past year mccain has been planning for his final days. and he often discussed with friends and family what he would like for his funeral. plans have not officially been announced but sources tell cnn john mccain favored three different locations for services. one, his home state of arizona, the national cathedral in washington, and annapolis, maryland, home of the u.s. naval academy. former president george w. bush and former president barack obama have been asked to give eulogies. more on the remarkable life of senator john mccain after this break. stay with us.

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unlimited ways to live for the moment. all for as low as 30 bucks a line. unlimited for you. for them. for all. get unlimited for as low at 30 bucks per line for four lines at t-mobile. we continue with the breaking news this hour, the death of the u.s. senator john mccain. passed away at 81 years old. his family announced friday that he had stopped treatment for the aggressive form of brain cancer that he was fighting. john mccain is being praised across the political spectrum as a naval officer, a prisoner of

war and a statesman he served his country for six decades. john mccain was elected six times to the u.s. senate, representing the u.s. state of arizona, a place that he deeply loved, a place that he greatly respected. to talk more about that let's bring in jim ninsel. jim an executive editor with the "tucson weekly" on the phone with us from tucson, arizona. jim, again, we thank you kindly for your time today. let's start by talking about that state where you live. the place where you cover news. what did john mccain think of arizona? what did that place mean to him? >> oh, you know, i think john mccain, who came to arizona when he was ready to launch a political career and was exiting the navy, really found a deep, deep love for arizona as an adopted son of the state, and i think he succeeded the great barry goldwater in the senate, and i think he left just as great a mark on the state as barry goldwater did. >> there are so many issues that are specific to arizona that of course john mccain, many of them

he supported but some of them he disagreed with. many of those issues, for instance, immigration, a big sticking point of difference as we're seeing the u.s. president take one approach. it is one example of the disconnect between these two american figures. >> without a doubt. john mccain was a co-sponsor of the gang of eight legislation during the obama administration's second term, and they really i think was at a time when republicans were thinking hey, we should get something done on this. john mccain often has the opportunity to be confronted by people complaining about illegal immigration. he would talk about how we're all god's children. he had a compassion for the illegal immigrant that i think was not shared by the party in arizona and as a result he frequently clashed with republicans who saw him as republican in name only because of some of the stances that he

took. he was a maverick politician and he took some stances that were at odds certainly with the rest of the republican party sometimes. >> stand by just one moment. jim nintzel on the phone. what we're watching, we're looking at the hearse there. that is the hearse carrying the senator through the phoenix, arizona area. again, we've been watching this for the past several hours and these are the yingz in progress as that is happening in the state of arizona. jim nintzel on the phone with us. i want to ask you how do you think john mccain will be remembered by people in your state? >> you know, it's going to be complicated and different people are going to remember him different ways. but i think a story that talks a lot about who john mccain was was the relationship he had with southern arizona congressman bo

udall in the 1990s. bo udall was a very liberal democrat, reached out, made friends with john mccain when he first came to washington. and he eventually succumbed to parkinson's disease, spent the last several years of his life in a hospital in washington, d.c., and john mccain would go and visit him on a regular basis. he was one of the few people who was lls stopping by to see how mo was doing or sharing stories with him. and i think that had to do with some understanding that politicians were people first and it didn't patter whether you were a democrat or republican, people could work together for a common good. and i think that's the sort of thing, we're not seeing a lot of in washington anymore. >> jim nintzel on the phone with us joining us from tucson, arizona. jim, thank you very much. let's close the show out here by looking at these images. again, these images in progress taking place in phoenix, arizona. what you're watching right now, it is the hearse carrying john mccain. again, passed away in sedona,

arizona. john mccain died at the age of 81 years old. he had his family, he had his friends of course monitoring the news, but family of course right by his side in his final hour. we're seeing these images again as he's heading into phoenix, the valley of the sun, the place certainly where many people supported his many, many terms as a u.s. senator. john mccain a p.o.w. john mccain a vietnam vet. john mccain the statesman. john mccain better known as the maverick. again, john mccain died at 81 years old, died after fighting a vea grefs form of brain cancer. and you're watching cnn live coverage this hour as we continue to remember the life and legacy of john mccain. stay with us. we will of course continue to bring you the reaction, people's responses, the thoughts about this man as our coverage continues.

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breaking news. we continue following the breaking news this day, the death of a legend. u.s. senator john mccain. we welcome our viewers in the united states and around world. i'm george howell at cnn world headquarters in atlanta. john mccain served the u.s. senate for more than 30 years. six terms in that role. better known as the maverick and what you're seeing right here, these images in progress, the hearse being carried through the city of phoenix, arizona. john mccain being remembered in that state. the senator passed away saturday afternoon. he was at his home near sedona, arizona surrounded by his family in his final hour. he just recently discontinued treatment for the aggressive form of brain cancer he was fighting. people knew this moment would come. still it didn't make it any easier for the many people who knew him, people who admired him, people who loved him. his senate colleagues remember him as a giant in that body. politically conservative but fiercely principled and independent. his